“Somewhere Here on Earth” on Leno
Prince stopped by to wish Leno well on his new venture and left it on the stage with a killer version of “Somewhere Here on Earth”. I must reiterate how good it is to see Rhonda, Renato and John Blackwell backing him up.
Ick’s Pick (Week XXI): Grizzly Bear, “Veckatimest”
Hype, the likes of which that have been heaped on Brooklyn’s Grizzly Bear, can be an incredibly tricky minefield to navigate. On one hand you’ve got the ear of the tastemaker, the hipster elite and the blogosphere all clamoring to sing your praises before you’ve even released your first record. On the other, there are the uncontrollable expectations and the inevitable backlash when the wind blows in the next best thing. Needless to say, the expectation level going into the band’s second record Veckatimest is, in a word, epic. The question is, does it live up to the hype?
The answer is; Kind of. It’s a solid, meticulously produced record. The songs are engaging and it gets better upon subsequent listens. Veckatimest is clearly meant to be listened to as a whole and has a well definied beginning, middle and end.The record opens with a breezy acoustic guitar shuffle accompanied by a Rhodes piano, building orchestration and the unsteady vocal warble of “Southern Point”. The ambition of the track and it’s use of dynamics hits the mark and sets the tone for the rest of the weekend. “Two Weeks” brings the choral vocal harmonies to the forefront of the Beach Boys inspired pop track. It bears repeating here that the production of this album is stunning and you’ll find that each voice is given it’s due space and the choral effect is spacious.
“Cheerleader” (mp3) evokes a slinky film-noir feel with reverb drenched guitars and provides a dark turn to the mid point of the album. The steady mid-tempo waltz of “Ready, Able” soars and is one of the true standout tracks. “I Live With You” starts quite simply and is beautifully orchestrated with the greatest of intentions and falls apart to delusions of grandeur that come off more contrite than convincing. Veckatimest closes with the stark and stunningly beautiful “Foreground”, providing a perfect coda to the record.
Whether you buy into the hype or not, this record at very least deserves a listen without any expectations.
Buy Veckatimest: Amazon | Amazon MP3 | iTunes
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace
The Friday Five: May 22, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
Last week my father-in-law commented that my shuffle seems to ignore the music of his generation, which I do actually have quite a bit of thanks to the “Oldies but Goodies” collection, so Sal… this one is for you…
Bob & Earl – “Harlem Shuffle” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 5)
For a moment I thought that I had hit the wrong playlist… I do quite like The Rolling Stones version of this tune.
The Supremes – “Where Did Our Love Go” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 8)
Classic. Classic. Classic.
Leslie Gore – “It’s My Party” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 3)
My least favorite tune out of the five.
Dion – “Runaround Sue” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 7)
Truthfully, this is one of my favorite songs ever. It’s downright infectious and you will be singing it in your head for days on end.
The Newbeats – “Bread and Butter” (from Oldies but Goodies, Volume 2)
Another ear-worm that will stick in your head for days on end.
What’s on deck for your holiday weekend?
The Friday Five: May 15, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
Van Halen – “In a Simple Rhyme” (mp3) (from Women and Children First, 1980)
Earlier this week our friends over at Addicted to Vinyl posted an incendiary Van Halen related article that sent me on a listening spree. In the last week I’ve listened to every record from Van Halen I to 1984 and still disagree with the assertion that “Jump” was in any way a stretch (or sell out) and that it was really a part of the natural progression of the band.
Primus – Tommy the Cat (mp3) (from Sailing the Seas of Cheese, 1991)
It has been a long time since I’ve heard this tune. Les Claypool is easily one of the funkiest bass players ever. Juxtaposed against the brash beats and dueling vocals with Tom Waits the band picked up the torch dropped by Funkadelic, dropped some Metal on it and moved it along.
Madonna – “Borderline” (from The Immaculate Collection, 1990)
I make no bones about it; I absolutely love nearly everything Madge did prior to the turn of the new millennium. These days it’s all one can do to avoid her pathetic clawing at staying relevant, compounded only by her odd public/private life and her preclusion to much younger men.
Rage Against the Machine – Freedom (mp3) (from Rage Against the Machine, 1992)
While I do really like guitarist Tom Morello‘s current project Street Sweeper Social Club, nothing can replace the sound and the fury of the original Rage Against the Machine record. Born of the first Bush presidency, the record captured the angst and social unrest that was brewing just below the surface; that and the hearts and minds of drunken frat boys from coast to coast.
James – “Laid” (from Laid, 1993)
In researching this tune I discovered that this record was produced by the legendary Brian Eno. It does not necessarily surprise me. One of the best parts of doing The Five week after week is spending a little bit of time getting to know the tunes in my collection a little bit better.
So what’s on deck in your shuffle this week?
The Friday Five: May 8, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Winter Hill” (mp3) by Doves (from Kingdom of Rust)
I’ve listened to this record quite a few times and it’s yet to leave any lasting impression on me beyond “the lead singer (Jimi Goodwin) sounds like a cross between Chris Martin of Coldplay and Kele Okereke of Bloc Party.” Overall it’s a solid indie rock record that I’m sure will grow on me, it’s just not there yet.
“Oh! Darling” by The Beatles (from Abbey Road)
Wringing every bit of soul his slight British frame could muster, “Oh! Darling” is as close to 50’s Rhythm & Blues (Ã la Fats Domino) as Paul McCartney and The Beatles could manage. In a 1980 Playboy interview John Lennon said of the song “‘Oh! Darling’ was a great one of Paul’s that he didn’t sing too well. I always thought I could have done it better – it was more my style than his. He wrote it, so what the hell, he’s going to sing it.” It’s hard not to agree as John clearly had the more soulful voice.
“To ‘B’ or Not to ‘B’” (mp3) by Chet Atkins & Tommy Emmanuel (from The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World)
The mentor and the apprentice, though to call Tommy Emmanuel an apprentice is like calling Kobe Bryant an ‘okay’ basketball player. This entire record is a celebration of the style that the legendary Chet Atkins loved and championed his entire career. It’s fitting that this would be his final recording before passing in 2001. This specific tune has a ‘club jazz’ feel and is beautifully orchestrated.
“Soul Clappin'” by Sly & The Family Stone (from Dance to the Music)
Come on… ya’ll know how to ‘soul clap’… on the one!
“Talkin’ ‘Bout a Revolution” (mp3) by Afro Fiesta (from Playing for Change: Songs Around the World)
By now I’m sure that you’ve all seen the video produced by the group of filmmakers who compiled buskers, street performers, choirs and the odd (and frankly out of place) superstar (yes, I’m looking at you Bono) from around the world and worked them into a single performance of “Stand by Me” (Pete posted it a while back). The group has released a record, the proceeds of which will go to the Playing for Change Foundation (Official Site) whose mission is simply “building and connecting music/art schools around the world” which is certainly a worthwhile cause. The album itself falls a little flat in places without the visual aspect to support it, but not to worry as there is a DVD included capturing the performances. This particular performance stood out to me and is one of my favorites from the record.
That’s it for me, what’s next on your shuffle?
The Friday Five: May 1, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Beautiful” (mp3) by Flickerstick (from Causing a Catastrophe – Live)
They may have played their last show, but this band will live on as one of my favorites of the first decade of the new millennium.
“Daughter of the Everglades” by Rory Gallagher (from Big Guns: The Very Best of Rory Gallagher)
Armed with his ‘well loved’ sunburst 1961 Stratocaster Rory brought common man earnestness to every tune that poured from his soul. In doing my research I found this quote, which I think is quite telling… “How does it feel to be the greatest guitarist in the world? I don’t know, go ask Rory Gallagher.” – Jimi Hendrix.
“Watermelon in Easter Hay” by Frank Zappa (from Joe’s Garage: Acts I, II & III)
Behind “Pink Napkins” this is my favorite bit of Zappa guitar bliss. The composition itself is simple, the delivery is sublime.
“Mystify” (mp3) by INXS (from Kick)
I’ve been on an INXS kick the past few days. See what I did there? I never did understand how this wasn’t a single.
“Anotherloverholenyohead” by Prince (from The Holy Casino)
I so want to share this excellent live version of the Parade classic, but alas, the purple one (rather his lawyers) would kick my ass. Just trust me; it’s a really good version.
I’ve shown you mine, now show me yours!!
Austin City Limits 2009 Lineup Announced
If you’ve been hiding under a rock for fear of contracting the Swine Flu, you might have missed the lineup announcement for this year’s installment of the Austin City Limits festival (Official Link) – and it looks to be a hell of a lineup. They are clearly going for a certain demographic (which I am fairly certain that I belong to), and at $185 for a 3-day Pass it comes in less per-day than seeing any of the headliners solo. The festival takes place October 2-4, 2009 at Zilker Park in Austin, TX.
The Friday Five: April 24, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Love Song” by 311 (from 50 First Dates)
On occasion a cover song reimagines the original to such a point that it becomes its own unique entity (see John Cale‘s “Hallelujah” and Jimi Hendrix‘s “All Along the Watchtower”) and far surpasses the original. This is one of those cases. As much as I love the original, 311‘s sun-drenched take on The Cure track captures the essence for me.
“Love Left Us Strangers” (mp3) by Space Needle (from The Moray Eels Eat the Space Needle)
In the late 90’s I worked for a little record store in upstate New York. Anders Parker of Space Needle (and Varnaline) was a former employee and this record was the soundtrack to the winter of 1997.
“Song That Jane Likes” by Dave Matthews Band (from Remember Two Things)
“I’ve got a little sister named Jane and this is the ‘Song That Jane Likes’…”
“Like It Is” (mp3) by The Damnwells (from One Last Century)
Easily a contender for one of my favorite records of 2009, this one came at the recommendation of Jeff from Popdose and it’s been in constant rotation ever since. If you like what you hear you can download the entire record (legally) from the band’s official website (and really it’s free, so why wouldn’t you download it?)
“Don’t Get Me Wrong” (mp3) by Lily Allen (from Radio 1: Established 1967)
Sometimes the song just fits. I don’t think that I’ve exposed my deep seated hatred of The Pretenders on Ickmusic yet. Despite that I absolutely adore this reading of their 1986 classic. Miss Allen adds her signature ska-lite lilt to the tune while staying spot on in her rendition of Chrissie Hynde‘s delivery.
Tag! You’re it… what’s the soundtrack to your afternoon?
The Friday Five: April 17, 2009
For those who have not joined in the Friday Five here is all you need to know; each Friday I hit the shuffle button on my iTunes and share my five and drop a little knowledge and insight for each track. Sometimes there is a playlist involved, sometimes there isn’t. Sometimes we have guest, but most of the time it’s just me.
The rest is up to you, our friends and readers! Fire up your media player of choice and share the first five random track of your shuffle in the comments. The more the merrier!
The Five:
“Body Movin’ Remix (Fatboy Slim mix)” (mp3) by Beastie Boys (from Best of Grand Royal 12’s)
The classic remix that, in my opinion, was superior to the original cut.
“Let Me Clear My Throat (Old-School Reunion remix)” (mp3) by DJ Kool (from Let Me Clear My Throat)
Biz Markie and Doug E. Fresh bring the old school flavor to the late 90’s club smash. I’m doing the Ed Lover dance as this plays; you all can join me…
“I Wish U Heaven” by Prince (from Lovesexy)
For some reason Lovesexy never clicked with me. I’ve listened to it numerous times and “Alphabet St.” is definitely among my favorites from that era but as a whole work it never made an impression.
“Mercy Mercy Me” by Marvin Gaye (from Number 1’s)
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain’t what they used to beAlmost 40 years later and nothing has changed (for the better).
“Cholly (Funk Getting Ready to Roll!)” by Funkadelic (from One Nation Under a Groove)
The shuffle ends on a funky note today, good vibes from the original fathers of the funk.
So tell me, what’s funkin’ you out to the weekend?
Review: Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden
Photo: John Waters
“Who starts a tour at Madison Square Garden?”
Apparently when you are Dave Matthews Band, the answer is, well, you. Returning to the last venue the band played at the close of their 2008 tour, the band kick started their 2009 tour with a set that could really only be described as epic. There was a definite underlying theme to the night celebrating both the release of their upcoming album Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, and the life and spirit of LeRoi Moore, whose presence was definitely felt throughout the evening.
Before I get too far into the main event, I’ve got to give some love to Philadelphia’s Legendary Roots Crew. Folks that follow Questlove on twitter know that Tuesday was a busy day for the band running from their ‘day job’ at Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to The Garden and then to their weekly gig at Highline. My wife Christine and I met up with some friends and fellow DMB fans before the show for drinks and dinner, and it was Questlove’s tweet that let us know it was time to head over. Still dressed in their late night gear the band absolutely killed it, wasting not a single second to silence or typical between song banter. From Led Zeppelin to R&B to Hip-Hop the group did not miss a beat blending it all into a tasty gumbo. Highlights for me came at guitarists Captain Kirk Douglas’ take on Cody ChestnuTT‘s “The Seed (2.0)” hook, Black Thought’s absolute mastery on the mic and percussionist Frankie Knuckles leading the band through dance routines Jerome Benton-style.
Photo: John Waters
Seated behind the stage we could clearly view the activity taking place as the road crew set up the curtains and prepped the stage. Dave sauntered out and pumped his fists jumping up and down for those of us who could see him and the band warmed up the intro to “Don’t Drink the Water” from their 1998 classic Before These Crowded Streets. For as many times as I’ve heard “Don’t Drink the Water” (and this marks the third consecutive time I’ve heard it as a show opener) it never wears. The “This Land is Your Land” tag elicited a roar from the crowd as he used Woody Guthrie‘s words to supplement his own toasting the “New York Island”. Following closely was the tour staple “Corn Bread”, a salacious little bit of country fried funk that inspired Dave to choreograph his own brand of dance to a fury that I’ve not seen since James Brown sat in with the band a few years back. The band launched into the first of three new tracks from Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King, “Funny the Way It Is” (which had been released for free earlier in the day) to an audience already singing back to them.
The first sign that this was not to be just another tour kick-off was the appearance of “Raven” from Busted Stuff which has not been performed by the band since 2006. Building on the momentum the band tore through an amped up version of “You Might Die Trying” from 2005’s Stand Up. Guitarist Tim Reynolds delivered his exclusive brand of fret board gymnastics and made it look easy. The second debut came with the mid-tempo “Spaceman” which juxtaposed Dave’s scat like vocals against a gently rolling groove. This one definitely has potential…
I’m not all there, I’m a faithful sinner
I might get lost, but I’ll be home for dinner
If God don’t like me, he can hand me to hellNot coming home till the good day’s gone
Working as hard, as the day is long
Working men watch me, when I get home“Dancing Nancies” from the bands label debut Under the Table and Dreaming segued nicely into “Pig” both of which prominently featured violinist Boyd Tinsley‘s soulful violin. I’m not certain if Boyd’s new violin is a more traditional build than his original custom model, but its tone was sweeter and harmonic and his turns driving the ship were all the better for it. As the crew brought an additional microphone onto the stage Dave welcomed Gregg Allman (who just “happened to be in town”) up to run through the classic “Melissa” with Gregg and Dave trading verses.
On any other night this would be a showstopper, but the night was young and far from being over. After running through old school fan favorites “Recently”, and the sadly ironic “So Damn Lucky” the band switched gears for the dark “#27”. Dave introduced the final new track of the evening with a tribute to the bands fallen member LeRoi Moore with the emotional and decidedly heavy “Why I Am”.
Still here dancing with the Groogrux king
Will be drinking big whiskey, while we dance and sing
When my story ends, it’s gonna end with him
Heaven or hell, I’m going there with the Groogrux kingFrom there the band turned up the tempo with a killer version of the anathematic “Ants Marching”. At moments I could not tell you who was louder, the band or the crowd the 20,000 strong sang along every single word. Almost certain that the set was ending the band surprised me by launching into a powerful “#41” featuring saxophonist Jeff Coffin‘s first step into the spotlight of the night. His solo was delivered with such ferocity that it was almost as if he were blowing The Garden down himself. The “Sojourn of Arjuna” interpolation with Coffin and Rashawn Ross on trumpet adds a new twist to the classic and Reynolds again lends soaring leads to the mix of the 17-plus minutes of jamming.
At the close I said to myself that if they ended the show here I’d be happy, but as notes faded the familiar strum of “Two Step” brought the crowd to an absolute frenzy. The entire band traded measures with each and every member showcasing their immense talent. Starting with a restrained but powerful lead by bassist Stefan Lessard and wrapping with 4 plus minutes of percussive bliss courtesy of Carter Beauford, the band kept it going for nearly another 20 minutes before leaving the stage for a quick breather. Dave returned with Tim, Carter and Rashawn for the touching “Sister”, and the rest of the band came back to close the set with the joyful “Tripping Billies”.
As Christine and I made our way back to Grand Central in the pouring rain, we commented to each other on just how extraordinary a show we just witnessed, and quickly rattled back and forth our highlights. It was an emotional experience seeing the band without LeRoi, but it was clear that this night was a celebration of his life, his songs, and his spirit that the band is clearly carrying forward with them.
Dave Matthews Band at Madison Square Garden
New York, New York
April 14, 2009
Set List:
Don’t Drink the Water
Cornbread
Funny the Way It Is
Raven
You Might Die Trying
Spaceman
Dancing Nancies
Pig
Melissa (w/Gregg Allman)
Recently
So Damn Lucky
#27
Why I Am
Ants Marching
#41
Two StepEncore:
Sister
Tripping BilliesBonus Video!
*It’s not great, but it’s something…
Dave Matthews Band – Funny the Way It Is (live) (YouTube)
Pre-Order Big Whiskey and the Groogrux King: Amazon
Links: Official Site | on Last.fm | on MySpace